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2012 audi a5 Reviews and News

2012 Audi A5/S5

By
Automobile Magazine
- 11/01/2011

Since the A5 shares its running gear with the A4, you shouldn't be surprised that it uses the same engines -- a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder hooked to Quattro all-wheel drive and a choice of a six-speed manual or an eight-speed automatic transmission. That concludes the simple part -- from here on out you need to pay close attention. You can also get a front-wheel-drive A5 with a CVT-equipped four-cylinder, but only in convertible form. If you're looking for something with more power, it really starts to get complicated: the S5 convertible shares the S4's 3.0-liter supercharged V-6 with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. But if you want an S5 coupe (rather than a convertible), you get a normally aspirated 4.2-liter V-8 with either a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic transmission. We're confused, too. The convertible bucks the folding-hard-top trend and uses a multilayer fabric roof. It's better-looking than its competitors, and the soft top takes up less trunk space. Both the coupe and the convertible offer seating for four actual life-size human beings, and, like all Audis, the A5 has a beautifully finished interior with lots of luxurious amenities.

Slipping behind the wheel of the A5 after walking off a whirlwind five flights in three days I was surprised that our tester was a base-level car with the only option of xenon headlights. Once the jetlag subsided, it turned out that I was quite wrong: this A5 was a mid-level Premium Plus car with almost $8000 in options, retailing for nearly $48,000. It just goes to show that the A5's design is gorgeous no matter how it's optioned and will easily deceive onlookers on how much you may or may not have spent. However, I look forward to the revised car due next year for the interior - while it is very well executed, the black plastics on the center console and stack have always struck me as cheap-looking and too abundant for the interior of a premium luxury car.